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The sound of silence

By ANNA BRADY

McSherrystown

Posted:
11/02/2012 01:54:59 PM EDT

I feel like Rip Van Winkle, like I have been sleeping for years and just woke up. My world has changed drastically. I finally gave in to my kids and went for another hearing test. I've had several before and just hated going through them. Well, this was entirely different and I ended up with two new hearing aids. I can't believe the difference! With two hearing aids, I was still living in a mostly silent world. When people talked to me, I could hear but not understand what they were saying. I wasn't getting the full conversation. When we left the building, the street outside was noisy with traffic. I hadn't heard that for years.

I thought my silent world was normal but it sure wasn't! The first time I went into the dining room for a meal, it was awesome.

BRADY

The place is noisy with dishes and silverware rattling and clanking and people talking. I could hear what they were saying a few tables away. As the news spread to friends, they laughed and said "now we can't talk about you anymore." Just great. One of the best sounds is the birds chirping and I have gotten used to that sound in a hurry. I just sit quietly and listen. I really enjoy all the entertainment and activities going on here now and will take a more active part. No more staying in my room while others enjoy themselves.

I still am going through my "stuff" hoping to get rid of most of it but always end up putting it back in the boxes. I'll just let the kids deal with it. Among the newspaper clippings, was the first "article" Al Sterner published for me.

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Just a paragraph about a mishap at a church social. It doesn't have a date on it so it was probably just something I sent to him along with some scouting information I was sending in back then. To me it was pretty exciting to see it in print, with MY byline. I was an avid fan of journalist Ernie Pyle and wanted to be a writer. I'm sure wrote about this before, but on one of my trips to Hawaii I was shown his burial site and took a picture.

Pictures! What memories they bring back. I came across a picture someone sent me after we were on a tour in Turkey in 2000. Wow! What is the old saying? "If only you could see what others see." I'm leaning against a concrete pillar and I look like a "Bag Lady." A sun visor on my head, a small purse belted around my huge waist, sunglasses and visor on my head with a cane propped along side me. All my travel experiences were "the best" until the next one came along. Now. I remember and yes, I did have a great time traveling everywhere I could. I thought Baltimore was as far as I would ever go. I really did have a fantastic time as my memories and pictures tell me.

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